The abstract provided below is from information provided by the publisher.
On December 3, 1996, Circuit Court Judge Kevin Chang declared, Baehr v. Miike, that Hawaii's refusual to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples violated that state's constitution. The state had, according to Judge Chang, failed to demonstrate any compelling state interest in denying marriage licenses to the same sex couples petitioning for them. His decision has been stayed until an appeal to the Hawaii State Supreme court has been resolved.
Feelings run strong and public opinion is splintered, affecting state houses, federal legislation, religious conservatives, and gay activists. Same Sex Marriage offers a balanced group of essays by those involved in the struggle as well as social commentators, scholars and other who have addressed what could be one of the most significant watershed debates in recent history.
Organized into three sections, this controversial volume includes the emotional character of the debate, extensive arguments defending and challenging the morality and legal advisability of sanctioning same-sex marriages, and edited version of the Report of the Hawaii Commission on Sexual Orientation favoring the marriages, and the commission's minority report rejecting the idea.
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